Sean Payton on New Broncos Starting QB: 'Watch Out'

Denver Broncos head coach Sean Payton sent ripples through the NFL fabric upon announcing that starting quarterback Bo Nix would miss the rest of the postseason after fracturing his ankle in the waning moments of Saturday's Divisional Round playoff win over the Buffalo Bills.

In one breath, sadness. Exasperation. Disbelief. His hand-curated quarterback, who engineered the most comebacks in the league this season (including against Buffalo), won''t be available for next week's AFC Championship game at Empower Field at Mile High.

In another, however, there was hope. Resolve. Even some unabashed confidence. That his hand-curated backup quarterback, seventh-year veteran Jarrett Stidham, can right the ship to its intended Super Bowl 60 course.

"In fairness to what you’ve seen, which is very limited, he’s ready. He’s ready," Payton told reporters in his postgame press conference. "I’ve said this at the beginning of the season, I feel like I have a [No.] 2 [quarterback] that’s capable of starting for a handful of, a number of teams. I know he feels the same way. So watch out. Just watch. He’s experienced, he’s played in games. They’re different-type players to some degree, and yet they’re both… They’re very close friends, as with [QB] Sam [Ehlinger]. It’s a tight room. Sam will be our [No.] 2, and here we go.”

To Nix's credit, he's done a good job making the general population forget about Stidham, whom the Broncos signed in 2023 -- Payton's first year with the organization -- and extended this past offseason. Taking home $6 million annually, Stidham is among the sport's highest-paid QB2s, and he's been asked to do little behind QB1.

The former Patriots draft pick hasn't attempted a pass since Nix's predecessor Russell Wilson donned orange and blue. He's started four career games, dating back to his time in New England and Las Vegas, across which he compiled a 1-3 record. Stidham went 1-1 in two appearances for the Broncos after Wilson was benched in 2023.

But Payton hasn't forgotten about Stidham, neither in the highest highs or the lowest lows of their correlating tenures. Now he's forced to put that faith on full display with Denver one victory away from a trip to Santa Clara -- albeit under circumstances nobody considered even 24 hours ago.

"There will be a lot of emotions, and then the refocus takes place. We celebrate the season for him," Payton said of losing Nix. "And listen, ‘Stiddy’ is ready, and we’ll be ready for the next challenge.”

A Golden Opportunity

Much like Payton, Stidham is not short on confidence in his abilities. That became evident in 2024 -- after the Broncos moved on from Wilson, before they drafted Nix. When Stidham (unbeknownst to him at the time) would compete with a rookie for the reins to the huddle.

"I'm very confident that I can be the guy for us next year, I have no doubts about that,'' he said. "I'm going to continue to work as hard as possible."

Stidham ultimately lost that battle, but he's set to be handed a showcasing opportunity, commanding the Broncos against either the Houston Texans' elite defense or potentially forced to match points with Drake Maye and the New England Patriots in next Sunday's AFC title tilt.

"This team all year has lost key players, and we’ll rise up for the next challenge and we’ll go from there," Payton said.